1. Field Of The Invention
The invention relates to burning a combustible material to obtain heat and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for burning newspapers in a fireplace or stove to generate radiant heat.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
The escalating scarcity and cost of conventional energy sources for providing heat, such as oil, electricity and natural gas, have prompted a search for more abundant, cost-effective alternatives. Predictions of future shortages of natural resources and increasing dependence on foreign producers of scarce resources has further intensified efforts to identify alternative energy sources for heating and to implement conservation measures. Fireplaces and wood burning stoves, therefore, have gained in popularity as a source of heat to replace or supplement that supplied by utilities. However, wood itself is rapidly becoming a scarce resource, and the use of wood for burning in fireplaces and stoves depletes existing forests at a rate that outpaces renewal and creates undesirable ecological imbalances. Furthermore, wood is relatively expensive in relation to the amount of heat delivered by a fireplace due to the flames being quite small and supplying only limited radiant heat. Additionally, the efficiency of fireplaces is generally low because air drawn into the fireplace from the surrounding room escapes via the damper through the chimney and, therefore, there is little heat convection into the room.
Various attempts have been made to improve the efficiency of fireplaces by directing heated air into the room and by utilizing different fuels. Although combustible wood substitutes are commercially available for burning in fireplaces, these substitutes burn quickly, are very expensive and cannot be relied upon as a source of radiant heat. It has also been proposed to burn newspapers in a fireplace to obtain heat, since newspapers are a plentiful waste material that must be disposed of after use and such disposal presents a significant waste management burden. Generally, conventional methods and apparatus for burning newspapers involve rolling the newspapers to simulate logs and then burning the logs. Such logs, however, do not burn efficiently for long periods and fail to produce more than minimal radiant heat because ash produced by the logs tends to smother the fire after only a short period of burning time. Additionally, a further disadvantage of newspaper logs is that they produce significant smoke and residue during burning that limits their residential use. Devices for burning newspapers arranged in a stack have also been proposed, and illustrative devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,771,760 to Whiteley and 4,519,378 to Mims, and Canadian patent 1,197,744 to Lawrence. Conventional devices for burning a stack of newspapers typically inject a stream of air directly onto the newspaper stack to facilitate burning, and these devices generally require the stack of newspapers to be supported in an inclined position, such that air directed on the front face of the stack separates the sheets of newspapers to obtain page by page burning. Conventional devices share numerous structural and functional disadvantages, such as the need for specialized support mechanisms to orient the newspaper stack in an inclined position. Additionally, the stack of newspapers tends to burn very rapidly due to the air passing very quickly into the interior of the stack, and sustained heat is not obtained. Furthermore, a large amount of ash is generated that tends to smother the fire, and the air blowing directly on the newspaper stack can itself extinguish the fire. Incomplete burning, therefore, is a common occurrence in conventional devices and these devices demand constant attention and frequent relighting.